NJFFSA16
11-13-2002, 05:10 AM
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) - A 6-year-old girl trapped in a washing
machine that was filling with water was rescued Tuesday by a
passer-by who smashed the appliance's glass window with a tire
iron, authorities said.
The girl was at a coin-operated laundry with her mother when she
climbed into the front-loading machine and the door closed behind
her, said Fire Department spokesman Wayne Chaney. When the wash
cycle began the door locked and she couldn't get out.
As the washer begin to fill with water, a man walking by saw her
and tried to smash the glass with his arm. When that failed, he got
a tire iron from his car.
"It appears that some kids were playing, some siblings, and
somehow she ended up in the washer," Chaney said. "We're very
fortunate this young man was quick thinking."
Both the girl and her rescuer, Kloeum Nhem, were taken to St.
Mary's Medical Center.
Nhem received stitches for cuts on his right arm and was
released. The girl underwent surgery to repair cuts to her face and
body. She was in stable condition.
The Fire Department condemned and closed the laundry for
electrical code violations, Chaney said.
(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
machine that was filling with water was rescued Tuesday by a
passer-by who smashed the appliance's glass window with a tire
iron, authorities said.
The girl was at a coin-operated laundry with her mother when she
climbed into the front-loading machine and the door closed behind
her, said Fire Department spokesman Wayne Chaney. When the wash
cycle began the door locked and she couldn't get out.
As the washer begin to fill with water, a man walking by saw her
and tried to smash the glass with his arm. When that failed, he got
a tire iron from his car.
"It appears that some kids were playing, some siblings, and
somehow she ended up in the washer," Chaney said. "We're very
fortunate this young man was quick thinking."
Both the girl and her rescuer, Kloeum Nhem, were taken to St.
Mary's Medical Center.
Nhem received stitches for cuts on his right arm and was
released. The girl underwent surgery to repair cuts to her face and
body. She was in stable condition.
The Fire Department condemned and closed the laundry for
electrical code violations, Chaney said.
(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)